the design division: dan's single speed
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the design division: dan's single speed


'dan's single speed' by the design division
images courtesy of the design division


sydney based collaborative studio, the design division has created
'dan's single speed'. the old and unsightly single speed bicycle has
been given a new life through a tedious restoration and renewal process.

using matte spray paint in cool greys and white the vintage frame
adopts a minimal and contemporary aesthetic. spokes and pedals are
among a few small details that are accented in black, starkly contrasting
the otherwise icy scheme. handle bars wrapped in a natural tan rope
provide a comfortable grip for the rider, while a new headlight adds
an element of safety.



detail of wheel and chain



detail of handles



handles before



frame before



the frame being taken apart for spraying



handles ready to be sanded



frame after coat of spray paint






finished bike before being put back together

jayme db
03.03.11  
14
Really?!?!?
- its just a bloke who has reconditioned a bike....
Design Boom, your standards are dropping.....
monkeyboy   03.03.11
again..DIY...designboom, what's happening?you are publishing great architectural works but lately design is so "art and crafts"
ambini   03.03.11
i agree, good photo's have lured you in to pretty dullard work.
eyeball   03.03.11
why is this posted, 1 million people at my school dothis, to boot this bike is ugly
tom   03.03.11
I think that it's nice to see some pieces that are accessible to the general public. On top of that, the bike looks very cool!
ruby   03.03.11
i agree its a resprayed bike with new grips added... no design used here just a colour scheme from a 1000 other bikes iv seen around...
lb   03.03.11
I don't know about their standards dropping, it's nice to see work on db that isn't the most highly produced objects of desire. A little bit of human elbow grease is way more interesting than say a glossy new ipad.
ocelot   03.03.11
" I don't know about their standards dropping, it's nice to see work on db that isn't the most highly produced objects of desire. A little bit of human elbow grease is way more interesting than say a glossy new ipad. "

I agree but is isn't like be BUILT this bike. if so this would have been a cool project. but, as mentioned before, this is just a bloke ho painted his bike...
nothing new or worth mentioning imo.
cj   03.03.11
While i am not going to criticise the guy for his upcycling, it is difficut to see how this post has anything to do with design.
wha   03.03.11
This is terible. These four people must either all be idiots or they should stop collaborating because there is some "group think" going on. Between them, they have achieved so little here it's untrue. Obviously, none of them knew anything about bike mechanics to start with. Between four so called designers I would expect that it would take very little time to either figure out what is basically common sense or do the smallest amount of research. But no, they have not restored this bike at all, just spraypainted it - ignoring any important mechanical work that needed to be done - and bought some shiny new components for it. The aesthetic is not even remotely original.

Like has been said, millions of people have been doing this much more competently, especially since the fashion for vintage and fixed gear bikes arose 5 or so years ago, and none have them called themselves designers.
Sam Kelly   03.03.11
I don't understand why you posted this. It has nothing to do with design, post it on some fixie/SS blog instead. Compared to the usual posts, this one is way off.
ak   03.03.11
This fails both from a design point of view and as an example of reconditioning a vintage bike. There are numerous blogs dedicated to bikes and cycling culture which showcase much nicer restorations (whether that's because they've preserved the history - the patina etc - or where they have been brought up-to-date with appropriate components.

I might try polishing a t**d and documenting the process; I'm sure you'll post the results here.
me   03.03.11
I did this.. I didnt tell designboom about it... I didnt think they needed to know...
Alan Bedspread   03.03.11
this is pretty average on all levels... least worthy post i've seen here.
scott   03.04.11

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